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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23588014">who gives a fuck about social norms, anyway?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/whathegeometry/pseuds/whathegeometry'>whathegeometry</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A+ Parenting, Alternate Universe - High School, Awkwardness, Dorks in Love, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, M/M, Making Out, Practice Kissing, Teenage Dorks, jock!horace, might be continued/remodeled, soccer nerd!will</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:07:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,205</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23588014</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/whathegeometry/pseuds/whathegeometry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>will and horace in a highschool au. </p><p>thank you eliasz for your prompt generator.</p><p>originally posted as part of my "collections" fic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Horace Altman/Will Treaty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>who gives a fuck about social norms, anyway?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>{disclaimer: these are madeline l'engle's characters and i don't claim to own them in any way. i am not profiting off of this work.}</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"<em>Good morning, students. Welcome to Red Mountain High. It is now 7:45. Today is Saturday, April 11...</em>" the automated voice over the loudspeaker continued its morning ritual. Horace Altman continued his stride towards the library at the end of the freshman hallway. It was 35 minutes before the school day started, making it was a perfect time for Horace to study without being disturbed or made fun of. Horace was the captain of the football team, and, stupid as it was, he didn't want to risk getting made fun of by the other "jocks" for how much studying he did outside of school hours.</p><p>Or <em>that</em> he studied out of school hours.</p><p>The librarian- guybrarian? librario?- Mr. Arald waved a greeting at Horace as he passed through the blue library double-doors, which were always open. Horace amiably returned the greeting, then headed for his customary table in the righthand corner of the library. Tucked away between two bookshelves, it provided Horace the perfect place to write and study uninterrupted. </p><p>Except someone was already sitting there. </p><p>Will Treaty, a short, brown-haired, freckly boy, was sitting in the chair across from the one he usually chose. He was engrossed in a book and didn't notice when Horace sat down across from him and took out his laptop. Will was a member of the soccer team. He wasn't really part of any particular crowd. He didn't fall in with the other soccer boys, and he didn't really mesh that well with anyone else, either, as far as Horace knew, although almost everyone considered him a friend. He was like that. And as Horace scrutinized his face more closely- for no particular reason, he assured himself- it looked like there were tear trails running down his tan, freckly cheeks. Horace decided not to comment. He took out his laptop and typed in his passcode. </p><p>Will startled, let out a strangled noise, and fell backward out of his chair. Horace went over to help him, but he had already gathered up his books and laptop and gotten ready to walk out. </p><p>The next thing that happened, Horace would later look back on as fate or destiny, something that was always meant to happen, and Will would tease him for it. Will would say that it was just Horace being Horace, that Horace was just that nice. But Horace had other ideas.</p><p>"Hey," Horace said, calmly, and lay his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "You can stay. I didn't mean to worry you." Will looked up, and then looked back down again through his eyelashes. He smiled a bit, and blushed a bit more, but he sat back down at his seat at the table. There was an awkward moment when both boys, now fully aware of each other's presence, sat across from each other at the table, exchanging awkward glances.</p><p>"So," Will finally said, "what brings you here so early?"</p><p>"It's stupid," Horace said sheepishly, wondering why he was revealing so much to a boy he basically just met, "but I don't want my friends to see me studying. I guess 'jocks' aren't supposed to care about schoolwork and stuff." He put the word "jocks" in air quotes.</p><p>"Why do you care if the other football kids see you studying?" Will asked curiously, without a hint of sarcasm or mockery in his voice. "I don't know," Horace replied truthfully. "I guess I just think they might think lower of me."</p><p>"Well, I don't think lower of you," Will said sincerely, then seemed to catch himself. "Although it doesn't seem like that would matter, coming from a soccer nerd." Will laughed softly, amused by his own self-deprecating joke.</p><p>"Why are <em>you</em> here so early?" Horace asked. Will seemed to clam up at that. He looked like he was having an intense internal argument, and then- </p><p>"My parents were fighting. It got bad enough that I felt safer here." Will looked surprised that he'd said all of that. </p><p>"Wow" was all Horace said for a little while, and then an awkward silence descended on the table.</p><p>"Hey," Horace said suddenly, "want to come over to my place after school to play video games? My parents won't be home until really late."</p><p>"Sure," Will replied immediately, breaking into a grin, but then his smile softened. "But aren't you worried about what the other jocks will think? I mean, you, the football team captain, inviting a friendless nerd over to your house... isn't that something that would spawn some rude jokes?"</p><p>"You know what, fuck their opinions." Horace didn't know where all this confidence was coming from. It was like his brain had been turned on autopilot right when Will had started talking to him. "Meet me at the bus line, I'll show you which bus is mine."</p><p>It took Horace until a whole minute after Will saluted him jauntily and left the library to regain his faculties.</p><p>"What the fuck did I just do?"</p>
<hr/><p>"Wow, your house is awesome!" Will said eagerly, bursting through the door of Horace's parents' small wooden house. </p><p>"What are you talking about?" Horace said, genuinely confused. "It's tiny and there's not a surface that isn't drowning in filth!" Horace's house was indeed messy, and it was indeed small, but Will immediately became right at home. Horace led him to the basement, which was even messier than the main floor, and picked out two handheld controllers for his Wii. They logged on, and once they got into the swing of Mario Kart, they began to talk about other things, until-</p><p>"Do you have a crush on anyone?"</p><p>
  <em>God, Horace, you just lose your mind around this kid. You've been friends for like eight minutes. Chill!</em>
</p><p>Will flinched at the question, and his character on the game screen fell off the edge of a waterfall.</p><p>"Agh, Horace," he said, but then considered. "Yes, I do. I guess I'm just realizing it now, though."</p><p>"Well, have you ever kissed anyone?" Horace was on a roll. His brain was on autopilot again. Will looked up, and then-</p><p>"No. I guess I'd need some practice before I could do that."</p><p>"Well, do you want to practice on me?"</p><p>
  <em>Horace, you dumbfuck? What are you thinking? You are in deep, deep shit.</em>
</p><p>"Um..." Will stuttered, "I guess that might be... I mean..." He stopped, and his face flushed a deep red. Horace was about to reply when Will smashed their lips together.</p><p>It was an interesting, exciting, and wholly new sensation. Horace felt a feeling explode in the depths of his abdomen. It felt like fireworks, or bubbles, or a smile from a friend. It felt new and incredible and also like he was at home. Neither of them broke the kiss, and Horace experimentally wrapped a hand around the back of Will's neck. Will immediately responded by hooking one arm around Horace's back, and bringing the other up to cup his face.</p><p>Needless to say, this was not a platonic kiss. </p><p>They both were out of breath, but they continued the passionate kiss. Will's mouth opened, and he whispered something unintelligible into Horace's lips. Horace pulled them apart, finally, after three or four solid minutes.</p><p>They both gasped for breath.</p><p>"Wow."</p><p> </p>
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